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Texas Fails to Ban Texting While Driving
Texting and other driving distractions are one of the leading causes of traffic accidents.
January 07, 2012 /Law and Legal PR News/ -- Texas Fails to Ban Texting While Driving
This past legislative session, no fewer than four bills were debated in the Texas legislature this year looking to ban the use of hand-held phones while driving. Although over 30 states have this type of legislation in place, the Texas legislature has had a difficult time passing this type of law.
The Texas Senate debated bills which would ban the use of hand-held electronic devices to read, write, and send email or text messages while driving. The House voted on two similar bills, ultimately sending one to Governor Rick Perry's desk for his signature.
In June, however, Governor Rick Perry vetoed the house bill along with 23 other measures. Though referring to texting while driving as "reckless and irresponsible," he views the proposed bill as an "effort to micromanage the behavior of adults." According to the Houston Chronicle, Gov. Perry prefers education programs to curb the behavior as opposed to specific legislation.
Despite the setback, Rep. Tom Craddick, who introduced the bill the governor vetoed, remains committed to passing the legislation and plans to reintroduce the measure in the next legislative session.
Dangers of Texting While Driving
Texting and other driving distractions are one of the leading causes of traffic accidents. Various cities throughout the state have adopted bans on hand-held cell phone use. In those areas, motorists can be fined if they are found using hand-held devices while driving within the city limits.
One solution is for drivers to use hands-free cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. Although, certainly better than a driver pushing cell phone buttons while operating a vehicle, such calls are still mentally distracting.
Texas isn't the only state pushing to ban cell phone use in cars. Oprah Winfrey launched a "No Phone Zone" campaign in April, 2010 to help bring awareness to the danger of mixing cell phones and driving. On her show, she cited statistics from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that during daylight hours, an average of 800,000 vehicles were being driven by people using cell phones at any given moment. She also cited NTSB findings that in 2008, distracted driving took more than 6,000 lives and was responsible for injuring 500,000 motorists.
Article provided by Law Office of Bradley T Steele PC
Visit us at www.steelelaw-firm.com
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